The Athletics made one lone trade at the August deadline, sending outfielder Colby Thomas to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for 28-year-old right-handed relief pitcher Seth Johnson.  

There was a lot of conversation online and in national publications about the A's not making enough moves at that deadline, given the team's record. At the same time, the team's biggest need — pitching — isn't readily available at reasonable asking prices at that time of year, and the teams that were actually in contention would be going for those arms as well.

The A's largely sat back and instead cycled through relief pitchers on the waiver wire in hopes of finding some help for next season, and it appears as though they did. Both Scott Blewett and Chris Roycroft were late-season additions that each made a case for a role in the A's bullpen in 2027. 

Not to be lost in the shuffle was Johnson, who struggled out of the gate with the A's, posting a 13.50 ERA in his first five appearances with the club, allowing 10 hits and giving up three walks and seven earned runs in 4 ⅔ August innings. He was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on August 19 and called back up on September 5.

He admitted in September that he needed that reset.

"Getting traded over, I was already kind of in a rut a little bit," Johnson told Athletics Roundtable. "Got down to the minors for a nice little reset — a real reset — to take a deep breath and clean some things up."

When he returned to the A's roster in September, Johnson finished the season with a 3.55 ERA in the final month with a 3.89 FIP, and his 5.8% walk rate was the lowest of his entire season. His strikeout rate also jumped up from 23.1% to 26.9% between his two stints with the A's, which all points in the right direction moving forward.

The first complicating factor for Johnson is that he's out of options, which means he has to remain on the A's 26-man roster or be subject to the waiver wire where any team could claim him. The likely scenario here is that the A's keep him around through the winter and have a spot for him penciled into their roster construction, but a poor spring training could change that trajectory. 

The other factor here is that despite his turnaround, he still struggled in Sacramento. Over his entire stint with the A's, Johnson pitched 8 ⅓ innings at Sutter Health Park, giving up 13 hits, eight earned runs, walking six, and striking out five. In fairness, two of those outings were against the Tampa Bay Rays, who are currently playing in the American League Championship Series.

In just September, he tallied 7 ⅓ innings, giving up 10 hits, four earned runs, four walks, and striking out five. That put him at a 4.91 ERA at home in September.

In other words, while he appeared to turn a corner on the mound in the final month, he was still struggling at home, which could have an impact on the team's decision regarding his roster status. 

While the A's only made one trade acquisition at the deadline, they added three relief pitchers in August — and all three are out of options. Having roster flexibility, especially in the bullpen, appears to be a target for the team this winter, which could mean that not all three relievers make it to see Opening Day.